Icecap and method of making same



Feb, 2 151 L. E. SMl TH 2,542,294

ICECAP AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME;

Filed Dec. 2, 194'? 1/14/11; [I JM/IW Patented F eb. 20, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ICECAP AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Lillius E. Smith, Cincinnati, Ohio Application December 2, 1947, Serial No. 789,280

3 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an improved ice cap or similar article adapted for cold applications to the body, and, in addition, to an improved method for manufacturing such article.

An ice cap is, of course, a familiar article in every household. and is often employed for local applications of cold to portions of the body where such treatment is medically desirable. In its most common form, the ice cap comprises merely a bag of rubber or similar flexible, water-proof material having a relatively large mouth opening defined by a rigid rim member, and provided with a screw cap for closing such opening after the insertion of ice into the bag. It most generally happens that the portion of the body to which the cold application is desired has a generally convex surface. As a result, when an ice bag of conventional construction is applied to such convex surface, the ice in the bag tends to distribute itself around the periphery or ad acent one side of the bag, and it often happens that the central area of the bag, which overlies the portion of the patient where the maximum cold treatment effect is desired, it practically the warmest portion of the bag, due to the gravitational shifting of the ice in the bag.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide com- M limited portion thereof. However, such compartments have heretofore taken the form of relatively rigid members, and, whether formed separately from the rubber skin or casing of the bag or integrally molded therewith, have had the effect of making the bag a substantially inflexible member and therefore preventing the surface of the bag from adjusting itself to conform to the irregular contour of the various portions of the human body to which the bag is'applied.

Furthermore, all Such known constructions have been extremely complicated to manufacture and have required an adhesive joint to be formed between one or more rubber components. The formation of such joints is not only an expensive and time consuming procedure but also constitutes a weak region in the finished bag which is very susceptible to developing leaks which, of course, completely destroys the usefulness of the ice bag.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improved ice cap, or similar article, characterized by the inclusion of compartmentation means within the bag for insuring the even distribution of the ice throughout the interior of the bag, and yet providing a bag which is equally flexible and deformable as the conventional bags without such compartmentation.

Another object of this invention is to provide animproved method of manufacturing an ice cap, characterized by the elimination of all adhesive operations and adapted to large quantity,

economical production processes.

The specific nature of this invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the annexed sheet of drawings which, by way of preferred example only, illustrates one specific embodiment of the invention.

On the drawings Figure 1 is an elevational View of an ice cap embodying this invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged scale, vertical sectional view taken on the plane II--II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged scale, partial sectional view taken on the plane III-III of Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a developed view of the molded rubber casing from which an ice bag embodying this invention is constructed.

As shown on the drawings:

In accordance with the method of this invention, an ice cap or bag is constructed by initially molding a casing ll) of rubber, or similar flexible, water-proof material, into the configuration shown in Figure 4. Thus, the casing as initially molded, comprises a circular sheet portion Illa having at the center thereof a plurality of upstanding, integral wall portions iilb and lilo. The wall portions it?) and li'ic are respectively disposed in mutually perpendicular relationship to define a plurality of open-topped compartments Hid. While obviously any desired number of such compartments led ma be provided, ac-

cording to the desired size of the finished ice cap,

in the specific example shown in the drawing, I have illustrated a construction utilizing nine of such compartments. fhil not limited thereto, the dimensions of the compartments l cc are preferably selected so as to freely accommodate and receive an ice cube therein of the siz which is commonly produced by a domestic refrigerator.

If it is desired that the finished ice bag have a protective covering of fabric to prevent the direct application of the rubber casing It to the skin of the patient, then a circular piece of suitable fabric H is cut to substantially the same dimensions as the circular portion I 0a of the rubber casing 10.

The rubber casing i0 is then superimposed on the fabric sheet II and, if desired, may be secured thereto at a plurality of points around the circumference by any conventional temporary fastening devices. Whether secured together or unsecured, the peripheral edge portions of both the rubber casing l and the cover sheet H are then folded up and around the wall portions b and we and then gathered together to produce a bag-like configuration having a mouth of substantially less diameter than the original periphery of the casing H].

The gathered-together peripheral portions of the rubber casing 10 and the cover sheet H are then inserted into an annular recess defined by a generally u-shaped, rigid rim member 12. The spaced arms [2a and 12b of the rim member are then compressed radially toward each other so as to eifect a rigid clamping and securement of the casing member 10 and the cover sheet I! thereto. The innermost arm |2a of the rim member is provided with interior threads He or any other suitable form of fastening means for detachably securing a cover or lid 13 thereto.

In the illustrated example, the cover 13 comprises a generally disk-like member having an exteriorly threaded body portion [3a and a projecting flange 13b which, when the cover is threadably assembled in the rim i2, overlies a top portion of the rim I2 and compresses an annular seal member l4 thereagainst to provide a fluid-tight closure of the resultingbag.

Preferably, an upstanding handle 15 is integrally formed in the top central portion of the lid l3so as to permit the lid to be conveniently grasped and rotated during assembly and disassembly operations.

With a container constructed as heretofore described, it is apparent that ice may be readily inserted in the interior of the containerthrough the wide mouth opening defined by the rigid rim :2. Furthermore, since the most common source of ice in most households are the ice cubes of the common domestic refrigerator, a very uniform distribution of cooling effect throughout the bottom surface of the resulting ice bag may be obtained by placing an ice cube into each of the compartments defined by the upstanding integral walls 10b and 100 of the rubber casing, plus a small amount of water, if desired.

It should be further noted that since the upstanding walls !0b and [0c are integrally molded with the rubber casing I 0 and are of substantially the same thickness as the remaining portion of the rubber casing, their provision in the bottom of the ice bag does not substantially reduce the deformability of the bottom of the ice bag, and hence, when an ice bag embodying this invention is applied to any portion of the human body, it immediately adjusts itself in shape to conform to such portions and to impart a uniform cooling effect to all body regions contacted.

It will be further obvious to those skilled in the artthat the described method employed for fabricating an ice bag is'unusually simple and economical and is particularly adapted to large quantity, low-cost production of ice bags or similar articles. Note particularly that no adhesion operations are required in the fabrication of the ice bag.

It will, of course, be understood that various details of construction may be modified through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. The method of making an interiorly compartmented rubber container comprising the steps of molding in one piece a circular sheet of rubber having upstanding wall portions near the center thereof defining a plurality of opentopped compartments, folding the peripheral edge portion of the sheet upwardly around said wall portions, and gathering said peripheral edge together to reduce the reflective diameter thereof, and securing the peripheral edge in said gathered condition.

2. The method of making an interiorly compartmented rubber container comprising the steps of molding in one piece a circular sheet of rubber having upstanding wall portions near the center thereof defining a plurality of opentopped compartments, cutting a protective fabric sheet to substantially the same size as said rubber sheet, superimposing said rubber sheet on said fabric, concurrently folding the peripheral edge portions of said rubber sheet and said fabric upwardly around said wall portions, and gathering both peripheral edges to reduce the effective diameter thereof, and securing said gathered edges onto a rigid rim member.

3. An ice bag or the like comprising a baglike rubber casing having free peripheral edges defining an annular open mouth, said casing having upstanding wall portions integrally formed on the bottom of the bag to define a plurality of spaced compartments accessible through said mouth of said bag and each adapted to retain an ice cube therein, a protective fabric sheet closely overlying and enclosing the outer 7 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the I file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,002,021 Barnes Aug. 29, 1911 1,506,516 Craig Aug. 26, 1924 1,584,370 Green May 11, 1926 2,120,013 Bates June 7, 1938 2,122,001 Carel June 28, 1938 2,173,288 Shapiro Sept. 19, 1939 2,320,467 Rabil June 1, 1943 1944 2,343,512 Lobl Mar. 7; 

